


Five People Who Never Shot Nathan Petrelli (Until Further Evidence To The Contrary)

by gossy16



Category: Heroes - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-07 00:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gossy16/pseuds/gossy16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Written in May 2008, post-Volume 2.) Angela Petrelli never pulled the trigger on either one of her sons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five People Who Never Shot Nathan Petrelli (Until Further Evidence To The Contrary)

i.

Meredith has been crying for hours now, and her daddy keeps on saying the boy will run for his life in the opposite direction - and what was she thinkin' getting caught up with a boy like that - but she knows (hopes) Nathan will be different. He will listen and he will stay and before the old spinsters in town have a chance to shake their heads and think 'poor child,' Nathan will make an honest woman out of her.

What actually happens is, Nathan says he's got to go back to school. Meredith doesn't go out for days.

He doesn't call for weeks, but then he just shows up on Thanksgiving weekend. He's met at the door by Alec Gordon's hunting rifle aimed right between his eyes. Tension-filled seconds stretch out forever and it takes Meredith's frantic "Daddy! No!" for the old man to lower his gun. He still gives Nathan the evil eye, and before he steps away to let Meredith through, grumbles lowly: "You better be damn thankful I can't say no to my little girl."

 

ii.

When he kidnaps Nathan Petrelli from his Las Vegas hotel room, Noah Bennet knows nothing of the irony staring him in the face - scoffing at him, even. He doesn't know how easily he could have turned this assignment into a 2-for-1 kind of deal, doesn't know in how many ways. And when the captive man gets a kick in and makes a run for an escape, Bennet really would have shot his gun - but he's been asked not to. For some reason unbeknownst to him, the Company values this guy more than many (many) others.

"You better go ahead and shoot me," Petrelli has the nerve to say. "I've seen your face. When I find you again, I will kill you." Then he skyrockets off as though it's nothing to him and Bennet is, for all of his frustration in the moment, a little wowed. This always was part of the reason he joined Primatech in the first place.

Months later, Bennet will think back to this moment and ponder the values of irony, symbolism, what it means to be a hero and how to teach by example.

 

iii.

Linderman had many reasons for setting up Sanders's and Nathan's little encounter, aside from the conveniently obvious.

For one thing, it was sure to galvanize Jessica's personality, whilst shaking up Niki's sense of self and morals.

On the fortuitous off-chance the miracle of life would strike, according to recent educated speculation, a flying father and hyperstrong mother had higher odds of producing fastrunners.

If the husband ever had any inkling, that wouldn't be a great loss; and Nathan loved his wife enough to keep his secrets intact. Win-win.

More to the point, however, Jessica would have no scruples pointing a gun to Nathan's face - but Niki would never have the guts to shoot.

 

iv.

Angela Petrelli never pulled the trigger on either one of her sons.

Angela is nothing if not a rational mind. She knows her boys mean to do good in the world, but she also knows all too well that will alone is not enough. She sees how much Peter wants to save the world, and how much Nathan wants to save Peter, and she is reminded again, for as long as their sons will live, of the divide between herself and her late husband.

Angela understands numbers, variables, and sacrifices for the greater good. And because she understands, whatever needs to happen, she will let it happen. She will not feel guilt or remorse - it does no good to burden oneself with extraneous sentiment. When sacrifices need to be made, she will always be ready.

And she's a sharp shot, too, shall the need ever arise. Just don't expect her to take a shot one at her own flesh and hit the mark.

 

v.

Monty has been against it from the start. But of course, he would be - he restores life, doesn't take it away. In the weeks, in the months and the years it took him to pinpoint the exact moment, to build up the nerve, Simon's heard the defense a million times. But Monty was always the naive optimistic one, with little sense of responsibility, and even as he swears up and down he could never look at him again, never the same, Simon knows he doesn't understand the full scope of his sacrifice. Still he does blink away, and his eyes open in the infamous Texan police station. The year is 2007 once more.

Just moments later, he's at the Hyde Park mansion - it's where he remembers being at the time of the speech. His younger self is running around the house after his brother, carefree children, while Mom is in the lounge staring at the TV in shock. It's a different shock in this version of today; and he's frankly unsure which is greater. Any second now, she will call the boys to her, dial Peter's cell phone, and what comes after Simon can't know. He only knows he can't stay, not because it will break the continuum (though it might), but because it will break his heart.

Then he's in the streets of Kobe again, where nothing looks different from what it's no longer supposed to be. He's almost afraid to pull the picture out of his wallet - that picture of his and Monty's 10th birthday party, with Mom, Dad and Claire. He knows he didn't have a choice but that doesn't make his act any easier to process. The picture's still there, however, and no one is missing.

The look of puzzlement hasn't quite left his features when Peter finds him, his only word of explanation a name (Molly). And Simon can't bear to look his uncle - his father's brother - in the eye, but Peter advances anyway and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he says. "It shouldn't- doesn't have to be you."


End file.
